Edo council to probe chairman, scribe over alleged embezzlement

THE legislative arm of Ovia Soth West Local Council of Edo State is to investigate the council chairman and secretary, Morrison Ogunorobo and Ken Idahosa respectively following the receipt of a petition detailing alleged financial impropriety against the executive arm. It was learnt that the two officials are to appear before the legislators over the issue.

In the petition dated August 3, 2015 and submitted by revenue consultants, Dan Owegie (JNR) and Harrison Ogunorobo to the legislative arm through their lawyers, G. A. Izevbigie & Co and signed by Barrister A.I Amasowomuan, they accused the duo of embezzlement of funds allegedly paid to the council coffers but which were diverted to personal account.

However, all efforts to reach Ogunorobo was unsuccessful as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message sent to his mobile phone.

The petition read in part: “We are informed by our clients that they were appointed by Ovia South West Local Government Council as coordinators of internally generated revenue collectors for the said council in charge of revenue collection at Jojo Rock Pit at Evbonogbon and that such money be collected and paid to the council’s bank account weekly. The said sum is N250,000 weekly, which amounts to One million monthly. This, our client has been paying religiously.

“We are also informed by our client that when they discovered that people were no longer coming to Jojo Rock Pit to buy granites, they protested to the present chairman and the secretary of the council of their predicament and they instructed our client to be paying N500,000 to the council but that those money should be paid cash to the secretary, Ken Idahosa and this our client has been doing. Upon giving the said sum to the said secretary to the council, the secretary will then instruct one of the staff to pay the sum of N150,000 into the council bank account. Our client can prove the fact,” the law firm wrote.

It continued: “We are informed by our client that upon discovery of this action of the said secretary because of the verbal complaints of the council’s accountant over remittance of the revenue collected by our client that it was only the said N150,000 that has so far been received in the last two years, our client has to confront the said secretary and chairman who then threatened that they will dissolve the Jojo rock Pit revenue collection.”

They, therefore, appealed to the lawmakers to investigate and do justice to the matter.